Israel Tweets Fake Photo of Rockets Over London to Answer Critics

An image on Twitter of rockets sailing toward London's Houses of Parliament is the Israeli military's official response to criticism of its ongoing offensive in Gaza.

Captioned "What Would You Do?" the fake photo appeared Monday on the official Twitter account of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has fired more than 1,000 missiles from Gaza into Israel since hostilities between the two sides escalated into exchanges of rockets and airstrikes beginning July 9.

The greater civilian death toll on the Palestinian side of the conflict has prompted criticism of Israel's military offensive, which last week became a ground campaign to root out missile launch sites and to close off tunnels used by Hamas to move weapons and fighters.

An IDF spokesman told The Telegraph of London the image is meant to explain the danger Israelis face daily and to rebut accusations of excessive military force.

"If a rocket landed near Westminster, it’s not a reality that any country could tolerate," Capt. Eytan Buchman told The Telegraph.